Synopsis

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence… and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.

Review

I am sure that we have all heard the saying don’t judge a book by its cover… However, I will admit that The Jewel is a book that I bought because of its cover. I mean, how could I not? It is gorgeous! Luckily, I wound up loving the book as much as I love the cover. Parts of the story line do remind me of other books that I have read, however it does not take away from the book overall. There are a few parts that are fast paced and other parts that slow down. The characters all have strong personalities that mesh well together and keep the book and the conversations interesting. The supporting characters also really help move the book along! There are characters that you cannot help rooting for and characters that you will love to hate. Like with most books there were a few parts of the story line that were predictable, but there were plenty of plot twists and turns to keep you wanting to keep reading. I could not put this book down — I read it in one day. While The Jewel is a young adult book, it definitely hinted at darker things. Overall I really enjoyed reading The Jewel and I have already begun reading The White Rose which is the second book in the series!

Rating: A

Kenzie is your average coffee drinking, Harry Potter reading, nature loving, scarf wearing, plaid coveting, refuse to own an umbrella Washingtonian. She’s a Seahawks fan, fiance to an amazing guy, mom to three boys, fur mom to a horse and two dogs, and student majoring in family and child services. She loves to read, ride horses, watch Netflix, stalk Pinterest, make lists, and blog.